Growing Straw Hats
by Anycents
Summary: Robin gives a small smile and nods in understanding before adding, "I wanted to ask you for a favor, when you have a moment." - Franky grins and aims finger guns at his crewmate, "Lay it on me, sister." - "I noticed there is some free space around Nami's trees on the upper deck. I was wondering if you could set up a place where I can grow some flowers."


**_Beta-read by the talented and prolific MasterQwertster. Any remaining errors are due to me changing things around after she corrected it for me. _**

_This story is mostly set after the Punk Hazard arc. _

* * *

They are a couple days out from Water Seven and Franky is just finishing making some adjustments to the pantry to optimize the storage conditions for some of Sanji's ingredients.

The cook had commented how Zeff had set up all kinds of special storage on the Baratie based on his decades of experience as a sea chef. Gourmet cooking is even more challenging when it might be months between chances to restock on fresh supplies.

Robin comes to lean against the pantry door, "Sanji will be pleased. He's always so concerned about ingredients going to waste. I'm sure he'll appreciate the decorative scroll work too, even if he doesn't say so."

Franky rubs the back of his head with one oversized hand, aware that he may have gone a little overboard considering that the temperature-controlled boxes are in a storage space, where hardly anyone will see them, "I don't know about that. All I know is they needed the carvings in order to be done."

Robin gives a small smile and nods in understanding before adding, "I wanted to ask you for a favor, when you have a moment."

Franky grins and aims finger guns at his crewmate, "Lay it on me, sister."

"I noticed there is some free space around Nami's trees on the upper deck. I was wondering if you could set up a place where I can grow some flowers."

Franky gives her a thumbs up, "Easily done as said. If I'd known you were a gardener, I would have put flower boxes in to begin with."

Robin gives a small shake of her head, "I'm not really. I've never stayed in one place long enough for that kind of hobby." She gives him one of her serene smiles, "But now that I have a home, I'd like to give it try."

Franky has to use the back of his hand to remove a piece of dust that has somehow gotten in his eye. How can she so calmly reference all her years on the run like that?

"Of course." (sniff)

She smiles at him again more broadly, "Super."

Franky reflects that Robin seems to have a wide variety of smiles; he hopes he can continue to make the sincere one she just gave him far more common.

* * *

Later that day he is explaining the irrigation system he set up, "…and the area is already designed to direct the wind around it, so the plants won't get exposed to too much salt."

Usopp, who had come up earlier to see if he could help, stops putting away tools to look around and put a finger up, before mumbling to himself, "Can't believe I didn't notice before." He looks over to where their swordsman is napping, "_That's_ why he's always napping here."

None of them wonder how he is still snoring away after all the noise that's been made assembling the new flower beds, the man redefines the term 'heavy sleeper.'

Franky looks down at the sound of a small hoof tapping timidly on his metal leg. Chopper gives him a wide-eyed look and taps his hooves together self-consciously, "It would be really helpful to have a place to grow some more of the herbs I use to promote healing and treat blood loss. We go through our supplies absurdly fast." He waves in a way that encompasses both Zoro and the Luffy who, attracted by the gathering of his crewmates, is poking idly at the dirt trying to determine what's so interesting about it.

"You want one too little bro?"

The little reindeer beams up at him with such obvious and adorable gratitude on his face that Franky can't help but grin back at him.

Sanji's arrival is heralded by the smell of tobacco smoke as he rounds the mikan trees in the middle of the upper deck. He spins over to Robin and bows as he offers her a small fruit salad cut to look like flowers.

After Robin's "Thank you," Sanji gets two seconds to make silly noises in response before Luffy becomes impatient and lunges at the rest of the less fancy (but equally tasty) bowls on the tray and Sanji snaps out of his daze to plant a foot in his captain's face.

"Thanks," Usopp grabs a bowl to hand to Chopper and takes one for himself from the tray that is still perfectly stable and level even though Sanji's foot is currently at eye level.

A couple minutes later, once snacks and blows to the head have been delivered, including to Zoro who is now rubbing his head and looking confusedly at the bowl that's been thrust into his hand, Sanji turns back to the rest of the group, "What's with the box of dirt?"

Robin smiles and pops a grape into her mouth, "I'm going to try growing some flowers."

Chopper chimes in, "And I'm going to grow some herbs for medicine!"

Sanji lights up, "What a beautiful and brilliant idea, Robin-chan, just like you!"

He turns back to Franky and says with air of daring the shipwright to thwart him, "If I had fresh herbs, I could make even more amazing dishes for Nami-san and Robin-chan!"

Franky laughs, "Sounds good to me, Bro!" He slaps the smaller man on the back hard enough to make him stumble a couple steps, "I didn't realize I was joining a crew of gardeners. Maybe I should have built in a green house, rather than an aquarium."

"No way!" Luffy breaks in, "Fish isn't as good as meat, but it's better than plants!"

This earns him another shoe to the top of the head, even though Sanji doesn't seem particularly mad, "If you don't like plants, why did you just try to tackle an entire tray of fruit salad out of my hand."

"Fruit is okay," Luffy replies from face down on the deck, "meat is just waaaay better."

* * *

After that at least a couple of them work on the garden pretty much every day. Nami gives Robin advice on gardening and only asks for some flowers in return. Usopp helps out with weeding and watering. They often compare results to try and decide what they can do to get things to grow better in such a harsh environment. Luffy often comes to listen in and poke at things. Zoro continues to take his naps against the railing, making no comment either way about the increased noise on the upper deck.

When Brook joins them he seems to enjoy leaning on the railing among the greenery chatting with whoever is up there or playing his instrument while they work. There is a noticeable improvement in the health and productivity of the plants.

* * *

"So, what is it you need up here?"

They had left Punk Hazard and were on their way to Dressrosa, but first there is something very important to deal with.

Usopp and Franky were contemplating the upper deck. Nami's tangerines still taking up the place of honor in the middle with Robin's flower beds along the starboard side are off limits, which leaves the port side and the stern, where Sanji and Chopper's herbs are growing in boxes.

"It makes sense for the chef and the doctor to have plants, but I never expected our sniper to have a reason for a garden too."

Usopp pats the large satchel at his hip, "Well, these seeds are special and super rare! If I told the risks I had to take to get these seeds it would make your hair curl!"

Franky presses his nose until his hair style changes appropriately and then slams his fore arms together above his head, "Yeah! I saw your Super new moves. So, what do they need?"

Usopp decides to save his stories for Luffy and Chopper, who will probably appreciate them more.

"I have most of the stuff I need to grow them. I just need some space. Also, um, I don't think these plants will get along with others. I'd feel bad if they ate everyone else's herbs and medicine."

"Yeah, they did look pretty energetic for greenery," Franky scratches the back of his head. "Guess we need cages."

Usopp studies the boxes a bit more. He starts sketching, "How about this? I think the plants will actually like the shade."

Franky examines the sketch and rubs his chin, "Sanji would probably like it since the boxes would be raised...Chopper will have shift to a taller form to reach, but that should be okay."

They make their way down to the workshops and Franky starts pulling out lumber, screws, hinges, and nails, "Grab that roll of wire, brother."

They haul everything up and start measuring and arranging pieces. Chopper comes out to check on his plants and transforms into one of his bulkier forms to help Franky lift the boxes while Usopp puts in the supports to create a second tier.

While they're doing this Brook ambles up and after taking a few moments to tune his violin, starts a lively tune, "To help your work along."

As they're getting ready to wrap the whole thing in Franky-grade chicken wire, Momonoske slouches up the stairs, bored because Kin'emon is meditating/napping under the tree on the lawn deck.

"Here kid, give this a try." He hands the little samurai the staple gun and shows him how to position it to shoot staples into the wood. Usopp looks concerned, but Franky waves him off, "It's fine, kid's smart enough not to hurt himself."

The first time Momonosuke pulls the trigger he staggers back, but Franky just waves him forward again, "Just brace yourself like this, little bro."

The kid gets a very serious look on his face and leans in. He looks delighted when he pulls the trigger and successfully sticks the wire mesh to the frame.

He finishes the bottom on one side, grinning at the dramatic BANG it makes every time it goes off, before he's clearly getting worn out from handling the heavy tool.

Franky holds out his hand and grins at the kid, "Super! You'd make a great carpenter. Why don't you let Usopp-bro and me finish this while you go see if Sanji-bro's got anything for us to drink?"

Momonosuke wipes his brow and nods, before running off toward the galley.

Law wanders out of the library with the journal of medical research notes Chopper kept while on Torino Island open in his hand, "Tony-ya, you brought some samples of this plant that encourages erythropoiesis back with you?"

"Oh yeah, I made sure to bring several varieties back. Here," Chopper hops over to the box with his herbs in it and suddenly becomes much taller and lankier, he points out where he's planted some sprouts, "This one will grow from cuttings if you give it lots of water. I'll give you some before you leave."

Chopper becomes small again and they sit down at the patio table sitting off to one side and Chopper starts answering Law's more detailed questions about his research.

Sanji strolls over and plonks a pitcher of water with fruit in it down on the table before going to check up on his own plants.

"This is some amazing work, Tony-ya."

"Don't think that just because you're also a doctor, I'm going to be flattered, Jerk," the reindeer gushes before sliding off his chair and under the table, clearly trying to hide even though the table is made of wire mesh and, therefore, see through.

Law pours a glass and sets it on the seat of Chopper's chair before pouring one for himself as well, "Are you sure it's wise to give away something so valuable so easily?"

Chopper pops out from under the table, glass in both forehooves and an excessively earnest look on his face. "The more people that have them, the more lives that can be saved! What kind of person would charge money for something like that!?"

His back is turned so he doesn't see Nami, who came up to check her trees, momentarily collapse to the ground in despair at the sheer amount of beri that is constantly slipping through her crewmates' hands.

She sighs and lifts herself back to her feet. Reminding herself for the millionth time that it can't be helped. If they were the sort of people who worried about things like that, she would still be making maps for Arlong.

Franky and Usopp finally finish putting the boxes together and Usopp can start pulling stuff out of the bags he brought with him in order to prepare the soil.

Chopper wanders over and starts examining the supplies Usopp has laid out with interest; he picks up a grey lumpy thing about the size and shape of a pear and gives it a cautious sniff. Wrinkling his nose, he carefully sets it back down, "What is it?"

Luffy appears out of nowhere to snatch up the _clearly_ _inedible _thing and try to stick it in his mouth.

Usopp swats at his captain, "Luffy, that's not food… here take this." He pulls some jerky out of his pocket and throws it in Luffy's direction.

Usopp grabs the object as Luffy drops it then holds it up with one hand and gestures to it with the other, "This, my dear doctor, is the key to growing the rare and _dangerous_ plants I found in the Boin Archipelago."

Brook chuckles at Usopp's pun, while Chopper's eyes grow round with wonder, "Really?!"

The musician, sensing a tale coming, switches to an appropriately dramatic tune.

"You see the islands are more like giant sea urchins, I had to repel down into its gut to get this gland the plants need to grow, while avoiding these huge spines," he holds his arm wide, "and these vines that look and smell exactly like ramen, but are actually dangerous to even get near."

He waves his hands around and then snatches Chopper up, hugging him close to his chest, effectively implying that is why the vines were dangerous. Chopper squeals in a combination of fear and excitement, waving his forehooves in an energetic, but extremely ineffective attempt to get away.

Usopp puts his crewmate down, "The whole archieplago was like that, all kinds of stuff that looked like food, but was actually dangerous to eat. It was actually safer to only eat things that tried to eat you first."

"Dangerous food? Like bears and tigers?" Luffy breaks in, "Sounds like home! I bet that was fun!"

Chopper, Brook and Usopp goggle at their captain. (Well, Brook would if he had goggles...er, eyes)

Usopp stammers, "What!? No!" He takes a moment to regather his thoughts and decides to move a little closer to the truth, "Luffy, you wouldn't have liked it. All the stuff that looked like food there only makes you hungrier when you eat it."

Luffy looks horrified and Sanji snaps out of his contemplation of his herbs to growl, "What. Where did that shitty bear send you? Food that makes you hungrier, that's the most screwed up thing I've ever heard!" He looks ready to burn something to the ground.

Luffy clenches his fists, "Nami! We have to go beat up that island! How do we get there?"

Nami turns from her plants to give her captain an exasperated look. She raises her eyebrows at Usopp as if to say, 'fix this.'

The crew's official liar waves his hands as if trying to erase the words he just said, "No, no, I mean, things were a bit difficult at first, but I was lucky Hercule was there. Once he taught me all the tricks it wasn't so bad."

Luffy takes him at his word and all the tension vanishes from his stance just as quickly as it came. He notices Robin coming up the stairs and goes over to see what she is doing.

Sanji, on the other hand, is still fuming, so Usopp tries again, "I didn't go hungry."

He leaves off 'at least not after the first few weeks.' That is all best forgotten.

The toxin in the food imitating plants had caused him to feel like he was constantly starving and also to put on weight even faster than could be accounted for by the amount he was eating. Recovering from it had been unpleasant and working off all that extra weight had been painful. However, the most shameful thing is that he had allowed himself to nearly lose sight of his dream and let everyone down.

Sanji gives Usopp a look that lets him know that he thinks he's full of shit, but he doesn't press the issue. The cook pulls out a cigarette and starts chewing on it without lighting it as he turns back to his plants.

"Wow, you're so brave Usopp!" Chopper ahhs, and Usopp dismisses his dark thoughts from his mind. Chopper may have grown up a lot in their time apart, but it nice to see he still has his sense of wonder.

"You brought back a pretty impressive collection yourself," Usopp responds graciously.

"The islanders and the rocs were both really nice, even though they both tried to eat me at first," Chopper enthuses. "Once I helped with the misunderstanding they were having, the humans shared their entire library with me and the rocs helped me gather plants to bring back!"

Brook laughs, "You brokered a peace between the humans and the rocs. An impressive feat Chopper!"

Chopper wiggles around, "Jerk, it wasn't a big deal just because I was the only one who could talk to both sides."

Brook hums, "I was lucky, I got off to a bit of a rough start, but after that I got see the world and travel with some very talented young people."

Nami turns from where she is inspecting her trees. "Yes, you must have left behind a fortune in beri when you ran away. You couldn't find a way to bring at least _some_ of it with you?"

"It was a very big band and I had to make sure they all got severance pay. They all worked so hard, you know. I don't mind telling you it was quite a task setting it up to ensure everyone would get a share after I left, my managers were not the most scrupulous individuals."

Nami waves her pruning shears up at the skeleton, "Beri can't just be fished out of the ocean you know. What about _your_ fair share!"

Brook looks sheepish, but asserts in that quiet but determined way of his, "I always pay my debts, Nami-san. Tthey gave me inspiration and dedication, something far more valuable than gold."

Luffy growing bored with Nami's worrying, breaks in smiling and waving his hands dismissively, "Nothing we can do about it now, right?"

This prompts Nami to jab him between the eyes while grumbling, "Always so careless about everything," but she seems to concede the point because she goes back to her gardening with another resigned sigh, letting Brook off the hook.

Chopper, noticing that Sanji is still contemplating his herb boxes, hops over to see what he's looking at, "Those are pretty!"

Sanji glances over at him, startled from his brooding.

Chopper ventures, "What are they?"

Sanji takes the cigarette and uses it to jab at individual specimens, "Mint, thyme, oregano, curry, basil."

Chopper, giving the plants a second look, realizes that they do indeed have the general appearance of the herbs named, but "Why are they pink?"

Sanji sighs and takes out his lighter, focusing on lighting the cigarette as he answers, "Because everything in Hell is pink."

Chopper makes a show of examining and sniffing the herbs while he thinks.

Sanji hasn't directly talked about where he was during their separation, but he _has _named his new recipes 'Okama Cuisine' and run all over the place yelling about how he hasn't seen a woman in two years. Given that, most of the crew has a pretty good idea of what sort of place Kuma sent him to.

They can only speculate regarding the precise reasons Kuma sent them one place or another. Maybe Sanji simply went to the best place for him to learn both cooking and fighting. Maybe there was more to it than that.

What is clear though is that Sanji's experiences have not changed how he would react to be being asked any direct questions on the subject.

Chopper offers cautiously, "Pink is my favorite color."

Sanji scrutinizes his crewmate, as if he suspects the little reindeer of making fun of him, although he should know better.

After taking in his little crewmate's earnest gaze, some of the tension drains out of Sanji's shoulders. He sighs out some smoke, "Its fine. They're the best. That's why I brought them back."

Robin, who is sitting at the patio table nearby arranging some flowers she just harvested, doesn't have the same hesitation as the little doctor. While maintaining her focus on the arrangement in front of her, she asks casually, "How is Ivankov doing by the way? Dragon was very pleased when he found out his lieutenant and crewmates had escaped from Impel Down."

Sanji pales before visibly pulling himself together when he realizes she isn't going to continue, "I wouldn't worry about them, Robin-chan, from what they said, they and their partner, Inazuma, riddled that place with secret tunnels and then practically made a night club out of them. I think they had fun sneaking around."

Chopper's eyes light up, "You trained with a lieutenant in the revolutionary army! That's so cool! No wonder your attacks are even more amazing now!"

Sanji looks pained, "Thank you, Chopper, but not really. I just fought with his followers a lot."

Chopper's ears droop, "You were fighting them the whole time we were separated? Why? Were they mean?"

"Mostly just pushy…" he trails off at the increasingly distressed look on the doctor's face. "It was part of a challenge to get the recipes I wanted from them."

Zoro breaks from where he had been apparently napping from the railing until a moment ago, "If you agree to a fight where you aren't try to kill each other, it's sparring, which is a type of training, Shit-Cook."

Sanji jabs his cigarette at Zoro, "Look, they may not have been trying to kill me, but they basically gave me no choice!" Smoke curls from his nose like a dragon as he leans in, "I had to fight constantly to avoid being shoved into their ideas about what I should be. Do you have any idea how annoying that is!?"

Zoro looks at him incredulously, "Are you being serious right now? How can you be this stupid?"

Sanji growls and takes a couple steps forward and Zoro starts to stand up, one hand on his swords just as Nami comes out from the center of her little grove with a small basket of mikans on her hip, "~Sanji~"

Sanji instantly spins around to face the navigator, who cocks her hip and fans her cleavage in a way that causes Zoro to roll his eye, Franky to give a thumbs up, Brook to laugh and blush (well, if he had blood, skin, a heart, and a sympathetic nervous system), and Sanji to cover his nose as blood comes spurting out.

"Could you make me something for this hot weather out of these?" She fans herself again, "We must be getting near Dress Rosa."

Sanji makes a high-pitched cooing noise that seems to indicate agreement, takes the basket, and skips off to the galley.

Zoro only feeling even more irritated by the cook's eternally idiotic behavior asks, "Don't you ever get exhausted dealing with him?"

"To be fair, he doesn't try to force his expectations, he just hopes…_really_ hard." She raises an eyebrow at him, "Besides, it's kind of nice to have at least _one_ male crewmember that doesn't smell like dirty socks."

Zoro pulls at his robe so he can sniff it. He freezes for a moment then shrugs his shoulders not bothering to contradict her assertion.

Nami rolls her eyes, "Besides, I'm glad to be back to just one. I just spent two years on island with a dozen old codgers who were almost as bad as him. It was like a full-time job."

"At least they made it worth my while." She grins and pulls out her staff, activating it to generate some small rain clouds that start watering her trees, and also the swordsman.

"Oi!" Zoro jumps out of the way of the shower and stats to use his coat to dry himself off.

Usopp breaks in from where he's been finishing setting up the plant cages, "You know I think you're the only one where I'm more worried about what happened to the islanders than I am about you."

She waves him off, "I gave them some excellent financial planning advice, not to mention data on the practical applications of their Weather Balls. It was a fair trade and none of them would dare say otherwise."

"You're just making a stronger case against yourself, you know," Usopp dead pans, "Did you at least leave them with the clothes on their backs?"

She sticks her tongue out at him, "Oh please, what would I want with old guy clothes?" She ignores the incredulous look he gives her as she turns back to caring for her trees.

Nami finishes pruning and Usopp gets his plants settled in and secured just as Sanji comes spinning back out onto the deck, a tray of orange julius in hand, which he starts doling out to everyone, starting with Nami and Robin of course.

"Dinner's in twenty minutes. _No mud_ allowed!" he asserts, before heading back to the kitchen.

Everyone knows better than to be late for a meal. They all scramble to clean up the deck and then wash up sufficiently so Sanji will let them into the galley.

Everything falls quiet and the setting sun casts everything in an orange glow as the distant clatter and arguing of dinner starts to drift from the galley. Plants brought from all around the world sway in the evening breeze.

* * *

_I have about half a dozen stories that I started on and then got stuck. I'm trying to go back and actually finish some of them. This one and 'On The Other Hand' were the easiest. They others may take awhile. _

_Thank you for reading! What did you think of my characterizations?_


End file.
